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Monthly Archives: August 2013

When we took up rowing, my friend Sue and I would often have a small bite to eat before practice (at the crack of dawn), and then a larger breakfast when we returned to refuel. “Power Breakfast,” as we affectionately termed it, is a protein-packed meal that goes great with a coffee, an orange juice, and the drive to GO HARD. Inspired by my friend Ally’s taste for yogurt with eggs and my own love affair with sauteed greens, I give you The Breakfast of Champions.

These fritters are baked, not fried, and inspired by my new-found love of Southwest-inspired cooking. This recipe takes a bit of time, but is well worth it. It yields 20-25 fritters–perfect for a party snack!

Black Bean and Corn Fritters with Spicy Sour Cream Dip

They emerge crispy on the outside, and gooey on the inside!

The beans, onion, and spices get their groove on in the processor

A creamy filling

Hold the roasted corn by the husk and get ready to cut the kernels from it

Cutting the kernels

Corn kernels, cilantro, and bean mixture

Everything gets mixed

Scoop the mixture up with a small spoon

Use two small spoons to roll some of the mixture into a ball

Coat the ball in cornmeal

Once the ball is on the parchment paper, press the top down with a spoon

What can’t one do with labneh, the soft, creamy, yogurty cheese of the Middle East? Some things you can definitely do: Dip your veggies in it. Spread it on bread. Use it as a “dressing” on a salad of spinach, red onion, and tapenade. Dunk your over-easy eggs in it. Here’s how to make labneh the easy way.

Looks great in my jar!

On a spinach salad with olive oil, red onion, and sundried tomato paste

My terrible photos really do not do this one justice! This is my recipe for JVRP Salmon, named for the excavation where I first made this dish. I was looking for something to make for a potluck, but only had access to a barbecue and a small electric hob. Knowing that most people would make meat on the grill, I decided to go for fish, and make use of the magic that is aluminum foil. This dish can be made very quickly if you’re short on time, but two of the more complicated ingredients can be made from scratch, if you are looking to make the whole thing a bit more involved.

This sundried tomato paste is creamy, savory, and easy to make. It’s great on salmon, eggs, toasted bread, and anything where spreadable cheeses are involved. Why buy it at the store when you can make it at home in a few minutes?

Another recipe inspired by quickly expiring produce from my friend’s market share! In this case the basil I received had begun to oxidize, so I wanted to use it before it went completely dark and limp. I also used some basil from the plant I am growing on my window sill. I really do not like pignoli (pine nuts), so I decided to make my pesto with almonds, but you can use pignoli and follow the same basic recipe if you’d like.